WABN
This article is in no relation to WABN 1230 AM serving the Abingdon-Lebanon-WashCo (Washington County), VA areas including the twin-cities of Bristol, TN and Bristol, VA. WABN is the ABN affiliate that serves the Charlotte, NC broadcast area, broadcasting on UHF digital channel 7. It is ABN's second major flagship television station overall, the first East Coast flagship. WABN logo.png|Used from 2007 to 2015. WABN logo2.png|Used from 2015 to 2018. WABN Open 2018.png|WABN Sinclair "Curves" news open from 2018 Charlotte Riot of 2016 WABN was nearly a target of the rioters during the September 21st melee as a result of a man shot by a North Carolina police officer and would have suffered the same fate as WBRP did during the Baltimore Riot of 2015 following the death of Freddie Gray. This caused anger among WABN's employees directing it at the rioters. Many WABN employees stormed into the front of the throng of rioters shouting profanities for their rampant destruction and disregard for human life. One of the rioters was even attacked by four WABN employees severely injuring the rioter. A WABN cameraman filming the riot nearby was struck by a mob of rioters in the head. Three more WABN photographers were also struck by the rioters. As a result of the subsequent fighting, the severity of the injuries to a rioter, and the severity of injuries to the WABN photographers, ABN Domestic Television Corporation took drastic measures and suspended WABN's broadcasting operations temporarily until the situation was amicably resolved. ABN CEO Billy Fortner said the following: "We will not tolerate this behavior the WABN employees exhibited tonight in Charlotte, North Carolina. They were supposed to represent the number two flagship station throughout all of the American Broadcast Network. This senseless, and cowardly act committed by the rioters in inexcusable in of itself. It is utterly embarrassing that our second flagship station and its employees went into the crosshairs of the rioters, injured one of them while they fired back and injured eleven writers, four photographers, damaged live television equipment trucks, etc. I am deeply grieved by this tragic occurrence. Therefore, as a result of this, I have no choice but to suspend all of WABN's operations until further notice. This is a black mark on our great name and does not reflect the core values of Champion Digital Broadcasting. Effective immediately, WABN's operations will cease. I have placed a hold on all incoming inquiries until this is resolved." Following the announcement, all programming on WABN channel 7.1 through 7.8 went to this "red screen". At 12:01 AM Monday, September 26th, WABN began re-transmitting to Charlotte, Kannapolis and Concorde. However, a lot of WABN's original programming was lost during the weekend while WABN was off the air as a result of the rioting. The only programming that was allowed to broadcast during its blackout was WABN's Newscenter 7 @ 5, 6, and 10 PM newscasts. After WABN's transmitter was turned back on, the station manager offered sincerest apologies for those affected by the riots and vowed to make things right for ABN answering the DTC's ultimatum to commit to 5,000 hours of community service and create a much better exit strategy when reporters and photographers find themselves in a dangerous situation such as a demonstration or a natural disaster. This cost WABN $35 million in lost endorsement revenue from various Charlotte community partners and the station's Seal of Excellence. The station was fined by the ABN Domestic Television Corporation for their part in the riot in the cost of $1,000,000 plus medical costs and lost compensation for the injured rioter. Category:Channel 7 Category:Charlotte, NC Category:North Carolina Category:ABN Affiliates Category:Champion Digital Broadcasting Category:ABN Domestic Television Corporation Category:Sinclair Broadcast Group Category:Temporary inactive television channels and stations